La Salle

LOS ANGELES - Tyreek Duren has plenty to look forward to, but what he most eagerly anticipates has nothing to do with the NCAA Tournament. Of course, he hopes, and expects, to lead La Salle back, at least to the Sweet 16, where his Explorers found themselves for the first time in 58 years. Before that, he hopes to guide the Explorers to the top of the Atlantic 10 for the first time. He wants to redeem this season's quick exit from the A-10 Tournament. He wants to win the Big 5 outright.

DAYTON, Ohio - Gus Chialastri, 90, subscribes to the perfect philosophy for a La Salle basketball fan. "I'm thankful for the good in my life," he says, "and I just accept the bad!" For the past 2 decades, there has been a lot of acceptance for Chialastri and the other La Salle faithful. For the past 2 decades, there has been a lot of bad La Salle basketball. Wednesday night, the Explorers will play in their first NCAA Tournament game in 21 years. It is a wonderful gift for Chialastri, who celebrated his birthday Saturday.

A year ago, both Council Rock South and La Salle saw their baseball seasons end in devastating fashion. In an error-marred state-quarterfinal playoff, C.R. South yielded three runs in the bottom of the seventh and bowed to Spring-Ford, 6-5. La Salle, after jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first 11/2 innings of a Catholic League semifinal against Neumann-Goretti, gave up 13 runs in a nightmarish sixth inning and fell, 18-13. The chance to come full circle comes on Friday, when the Golden Hawks and Explorers clash in a PIAA Class AAAA championship game set for 1 p.m. at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Taylor Wootton scored 20 points to lift host Drexel to its first home win, a 72-59 pounding over City Six rival La Salle in women's basketball. Hollie Mershon added 13 points for the Dragons (5-3). Alexis Scott scored a game- and season-high 33 points for La Salle (3-8).   In another game: *  At St. Francis, Pa., Katie Kuester's 16 points led Saint Joseph's (6-4) to an 83-53 win.  

LOS ANGELES - The good doctor didn't mean to be contrary. Dr. John Giannini was not being obtuse, or ornery, or even particularly prickly the past 2 weeks, when he disputed the "Cinderella" tag affixed to his Explorers. His dispute, of course, was meant to legitimize La Salle in his own players' eyes. He's practically a sports psychologist, for goodness' sake. Don't let him mesmerize you with that soothing tone. La Salle was as Cinderella a story as any team, ever.

THE MOST pressing matter on my mind leading up to La Salle's Sweet 16 game on Thursday is how I am going to obtain a ticket. Not to the West Regional semifinal against Wichita State, but to the Flyers-Islanders matchup taking place in Philly on the same night. Let me explain. I'm a bit superstitious, and in my mind the only way for La Salle to win on Thursday, is for me to be in the building I've visited each day the Explorers have won an NCAA Tournament game this year - the Wells Fargo Center.

NEW YORK - John Giannini has insisted that the margin for error for his La Salle team in the Atlantic 10 is minuscule. In Fordham's overstuffed gym in the Bronx Saturday, he was proven right. The Explorers (18-11, 7-7 A-10) dropped a physical 67-62 decision to Fordham, surrendering 35 points and 16 rebounds to Chris Gaston, the league's leading rebounder, and 26 offensive rebounds to the Rams. The win dropped La Salle behind Dayton, which hosted UMass on Saturday night, in the Atlantic Ten standings.

La Salle men's tennis player Dale Fetterman won both of his matches on Thursday to lead the Explorers to a 6-1 home win over the University of the Sciences. Fetterman beat the Devils' Cameron Carlock, 6-0, 6-1, in singles and teamed with Thomas MacLeod to beat Carlock and Peter Micu, 8-3, in doubles. Field hockey. Catherine Bitterly and Danielle Strong (Boyertown Area) each scored to lead Ursinus to a 2-1 win over host Bryn Mawr. Volleyball. Victoria Limmina had 18 digs and Cecily Scavicchio (Garnet Valley)

Brittany Wilson hit a three-pointer with six seconds left to lift visiting La Salle to a 49-48 women's basketball victory over Lehigh Tuesday. Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Explorers (1-3). Ebonee Jones added 10 points. Kerry Kinek tallied 17 points to lead Lehigh (1-2). In another game: Carmen Tyson-Thomas scored 23 points and Kayla Alexander added 20 as visiting Syracuse (4-0) routed Saint Joseph's, 80-39. Kelsey Berger had 10 points for the Hawks (2-2)

Who's hot Ole Miss 6-foot-7 senior Murphy Holloway scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the SEC championship win over Florida and had 10 points and nine rebounds in the 57-46 NCAA win over Wisconsin. Holloway shot 15 for 21 in the two wins. During La Salle's two NCAA tournament games, 6-8 sophomore Jerrell Wright is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds and has shot 12 for 13 from the field. Who's not Guard Nick Williams has shot just 7 for 25 in his last two games for Ole Miss.

BASEBALL Team Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (1) 19-0 2. Bonner-Prender. (3) 15-3 3. C.B. East (4) 15-4 4. La Salle (5) 16-4 5. Malvern (7) 24-7 6. Neshaminy (2) 15-4 7. Unionville (9) 17-3 8. W.C. Henderson (NR) 15-5 9. C.B. South (8) 12-5 10. Coatesville (6) 15-5 Under consideration (listed alphabetically): Archbishop Wood (13-5), Boyertown (13-8), Methacton (16-5), Pennridge (14-5)

After focusing on lacrosse the last three years, Pete Auteri approached La Salle skipper Joe Parisi last December about a possible switch to baseball. "I told him, 'What you're trying to do is difficult,' " Parisi said. "But I said, 'We're going to give you a shot.' He went out and earned it. " Wednesday afternoon, with Auteri producing a two-run single to right field in the sixth inning, the host Explorers turned back Father Judge, 6-4, in a Catholic League first-round playoff in Wyndmoor.

As Bonner-Prendergast senior Will McDermott came around the last turn Saturday in the 3,200 meters at the Catholic League track and field championships at Upper Darby, he met a loud ovation. Red-faced and appearing fatigued, McDermott sped down the final stretch to break the meet's oldest track record, finishing in 9 minutes, 19.7 seconds. While the crowd knew McDermott could be on the verge of history because of a public address announcement, the long-distance runner had no idea and said he could not even hear the cheers.

Caroline Bunting and Nina Corcoran each had two goals and two assists, but the visiting Penn women were defeated by Virginia, 12-6, Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament at Multi-Sport Field in Washington. Casey Bocklet scored four goals for Virginia, which improved to 10-9 and will face Georgetown in the second round on Sunday. The Quakers ended their season with an 11-6 record. In another first-round game, the Penn State women beat Canisius, 14-13, and advanced to the second round at 1 p.m. Sunday against Massachusetts, which beat Connecticut, 14-10.

Cleon Roberts, who started all 32 games and averaged 8.5 points per game as a freshman at Georgia Southern, has transferred to La Salle, coach John Giannini announced Thursday. Roberts will be eligible to play during the 2014-15 season after sitting out a year because of NCAA transfer regulations. "Cleon gives us an athletic, scoring guard with excellent size," Giannini said. "He has a great deal of potential, which I am confident he will reach because of his excellent work ethic.

Alfredo Santana of La Salle was named the men's outstanding track performer in the Atlantic Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Charlotte, N.C. Santana, a graduate of Philadelphia's Nueva Esperanza Academy, won the 5,000-meter run in 14 minutes, 25.19 seconds, and the 10,000 in 29:58.69. The Explorers, who finished seventh in the team competition, also won the 4x800-meter relay in 7:32.33 with Brett Shepherd (Monsignor Bonner), Nick Crits (Wissahickon), Wayne Bartholomew, and Paul Reilly (Upper Dublin)

OF ALL THE forlorn Explorers in the Staples Center locker room, none looked sadder than sophomore D.J. Peterson. La Salle had just lost to Wichita State in the Sweet 16, a foreseeable if unfortunate decision. For Peterson, the loss held special significance. He knew the team would change the following season. Tyrone Garland, one of the nation's top bench players, would probably start in place of Ramon Galloway, especially in the aftermath of his "Southwest Philly Floater" that beat Mississippi and sent La Salle to the Sweet 16. Delaware transfer Khalid Lewis and La Salle High's Amar Stukes also would play plenty, alongside point guard Tyrone Garland.

The Inquirer TOP 10     BASEBALL Team   Rec. Records are through Tuesday. Last week's rankings in parentheses. 1. Strath Haven (3)   16-0 2. Neshaminy (2)   14-3 3. Bonner-Prend. (1)   15-3 4. C.B. East (4)   13-3 5. La Salle (5)   15-4 6. Coatesville (9)   14-3 7. Malvern Prep (7)   21-7 8. C.B. South (NR)   12-4 9. Unionville (NR)   14-3 10. Archbishop Wood (10)

The La Salle men's basketball team will participate in the 2013 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam from Nov. 22-25, coach John Giannini announced Monday. The Explorers will open with Morgan State on Nov. 22 at 9 p.m. The other two teams on La Salle's side of the bracket are Providence and Vanderbilt. Other teams at the Paradise Jam are Maryland, Northern Iowa, Loyola Marymount and Marist. La Salle also played in the Paradise Jam in 2001, 2003 and 2008.